DUNFERMLINE fireman Andy Hunter surprised his newly-trained firefighter son, Richard, by joining him on a shift in Edinburgh before he retired last week.

The special day was organised as a surprise for Richard and coincided with VE Day, when father and son marked the two-minute silence to commemorate.

The day started off when 51-year-old Andy walked through the door of Sighthill Fire Station during the morning’s parade when the crew details were being called out.

Speaking afterwards, Richard, 27, said he was amazed that everyone in his Watch had managed to keep it a secret.

He said: “It was a huge shock. When I saw my dad and realised what was happening, obviously everyone started laughing.

“It was an amazing day, quite surreal actually, and I’m glad he got to meet the crew that I’ll be working with.

“We had a couple of turn out but we also did some training exercises together and it was good to share that experience with him.”

Andy, who retired at the end of May after 30 years in the service, really appreciated the chance to be in uniform with his son for the day.

He said: “This was a really great way to pass the baton on to Richard before I retire. It was extra special that it also happened on VE Day.

“As we travelled in the appliance, I really enjoyed talking shop about how things used to be done compared with nowadays.

“The current circumstances mean that I won’t get the retirement that I’d hoped for but this goes some way towards making up for that.”